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Auburn transfer T.J. Neal expects 'to make impact at LB'

TJ Neal was second on the Illinois roster with 109 tackles in the 2015 season. Neal announced his transfer to Auburn Tuesday morning. He is expected to compete for the starting middle linebacker job.(Photo: Photo by Illinois Athletics)

AUBURN – T.J. Neal was sitting at breakfast Monday with the entire Auburn coaching staff and then this older gentlemen walked in and introduced himself, shook his hand saying "hello young man, my name is Pat Dye"

Neal, a former Illinois linebacker who was the Illini’s second-leading tackler in 2015, excused himself and googled ‘Pat Dye’ on his phone and realized he would be wise to listen to the former Auburn head coach.

“I looked him up on my phone and immediately understood I would be listening to a man who the playing field is named after,” Neal said in a phone interview Thursday about meeting Pat Dye. “He did the talking and said he’d seen my film and I thought ‘wow’. He said Auburn University needed linebackers like me right now and I was sold.”

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Former Auburn coach Pat Dye agrees with every staff move current Auburn coach Gus Malzahn has made. Dye said on ESPN 106.7 in Auburn that a factor was the 2015 staff didn't like each other.(Photo: Mickey Welsh/Advertiser)

Dye, who was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a coach in 2005, is still heavily involved in the football program and was seen during preseason practices last August.

After picking Auburn over West Virginia, where he visited a week before, Neal wanted to make clear that he never directly told Illinois head coach Bill Cubit that playing close to home was the reason for his transfer. The proximity in miles of Auburn compared Champaign, Ill., to Neal’s hometown of McKeesport, Penn., would also suggest the accuracy of Cubit’s comments about Neal.

“I told him I'd look into schools close to home but that wasn't why,” Neal said. “I said I didn't feel good about the direction of the program. If I ever said to anybody that I needed to be close to home, I would’ve chosen West Virginia, which is 90 minutes from me.”

Cubit said on Jan. 26 that Neal was transferring from the Illini program in order to “playing closer to home”.

“He’s graduating, and he was talking about playing closer to home,” Cubit said. “That’s what he’s going to do. He’s a good kid, and I respect his feelings about what he wants to do. I wish him all the luck. “He’s a good football player. Family is first. I understand.”

“It has been an honor to be given a chance to play college football,” Neal said on his Twitter account, @Tneal52, Tuesday morning. “For my senior year, I chose to sign with the University of Auburn. I want to thank the coaching staff at the University of Auburn for giving me this opportunity.”

Neal said Thursday he has been told that he will be projected to start “provide leadership and produce” at middle linebacker, the position he started every game for the Illini. He has said he would like to Skype into the Auburn meetings during the spring to get some of the playbook terminology.

“I’m going to be very involved with the coaches in the meeting rooms and honestly, the x’s and o’s of football have always come easier to me,” Neal said. “I don’t anticipate my transition will be very difficult because I take pride in being a smart football player by being prepared.”

Former Illinois linebacker TJ Neal (52) announced his intention to transfer to Auburn Tuesday morning. Neal will graduate from Illinois and be eligible for the 2016 season.(Photo: Mike Granse/USA TODAY Sports)